I have never taken the time to write a review on a restaurant, but I have also never left full plates of food and not even wanting to take them due to being so gross. I personally feel everyone has very different expectations in dining but this restaurant can't claim to be "fine Italian". The price yes, over $100 bill after getting 25% taken off for the food we didn't eat! Started off ok, the warm bread, that was great and well cooked. Then moved on with grouper appetizer and bruschetta. My son enjoyed the grouper bites despite finding a bone in one. Bruschetta was fine, nothing spectacular but tasted good. Caesar Salads were once again just fine, but nothing I would order again or rave about. The pasta dinners, gross and unable to eat, my penne Al la vodka had store bought undercooked penne pasta with a flavorless sauce. The two teens with me got the tortelloni Alfredo. Store bought tortelloni was ok, but was too much sauce and super thick and weird consistency. Also, didn't have a great creamy flavor like most Alfredo has. Overall, I could made a better dinner with $20 at the grocery store. I didn't see anything "fine" except for the service and enjoyed the ice tea! $100 for some iced tea and bread. The waiter was great and attentive. Feel bad he has to serve such crappy food. read more

Amelia's - Italian Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

This place is terrific: Legit classic Italian with a great location. We've been coming here for years, and the food is excellent.

This is a nice Italian restaurant in the heart of downtown Gainesville. They will start you out with some fresh warm homemade bread. Then, you will have an abundance of entrees to choose from. Our server was friendly. The portions were more than generous, along with a delicious salad. Amelia's touched all of the bases for me. read more

Worst experience ever. Same situation already described by other people. Slow service, lack of attention by server and management. Place half empty, same excuse story about attending a big group.. Once we complained, 3 minutes after ( we had waited for over 35 min already) manager was pushing us to take the food to go no charge. Like it was a big favor and about having the food for free. We were clear we were cancelling the order. Unacceptable mistreatment read more

Went here for my birthday dinner and my fiancé and I found our place to celebrate birthdays & anniversaries. Everything we got tasted amazing and seemed extremely fresh as Italian food should be. We got bruschetta as an appetizer, I got the tortellini Alfredo and chocolate mousse cake for dessert. Chef Andy came out with our dessert and played Happy Birthday on his saxophone. It was an amazing, special touch that made the night very memorable. read more

Amelia's - Bruschetta appetizer. - Italian Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

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People in Gainesville think this is a nice restaurant. By Gainesville standards, I guess it's nicer than Applebees. Downsides: astronomically priced (for the quality), terrible service, mediocre food, and a run down interior. I brought my family here to eat because my kids wanted spaghetti. Memo to anyone with kids: this is not a kid friendly restaurant. No options for kids and the staff were really annoyed they were in the restaurant. Most people there were on dates, so I wouldn't recommend this as a family spot. If I had gone without kids, I can't imagine it would have been any better. I think it will continue to be well reviewed by people who have never left North Florida. For anyone who has eaten good Italian food or been to a nice restaurant, you're going to be really disappointed with this place. Fair warning: you'll pay through the nose for a disappointing meal and poor service. Two entrees, one coke, and a soup ended up setting me back $85. read more

I'm from out of town, Charlotte, NC, and was looking for a nice, reasonably priced, authentic restaurant to celebrate my Grandmother's 95th birthday. Amelia's fit the bill. Andy, the owner and Chef accommodated our reservation, even though, I admittedly dropped the ball by failing to call back and confirm reservation. He was really chill out about it. We had a party of 10 and were sat in the jazz room.The food was fresh and very authentic tasting. I was allowed to customize my vegetarian dish - Black and Blue Oyster Mushrooms with penne and spinach, scampi style. Absolutely delish. I ate it all and didn't feel weighed down, lol. And then he remembered that it was a special birthday and came out and played Happy Birthday on his sax. What a special touch. Thank you Andy. SN: Parking can be tricky. Dont park in numbered spots in funeral home. Hostess will tell you where to park for free if you call. read more

Amelia's - Black and blue oyster mushrooms with penne and spinach, scampi style instead of cream tomatoe sauce. - Italian Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

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The food and service was awesome! Chicken tortellini, the best I have tasted, well seasoned and a good portion!

Yum!! What a perfect place to go if you are wanting the upscale feel! The food is fabulous and our waiter was the perfect amount of attentive. My boyfriend and I went for our two year anniversary and we were treated with free Prosecco to celebrate when we arrived! I had the daily special salmon and he had the lobster ravioli! We also got the calamari app! 10/10 recommend. read more

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Delicious Italian food in the heart of town. Great veal piccata. Nice "white table cloth" dining.

So here it is my 200th review! So before I start the review I want to say I really enjoy letting fellow Yelpers know the places I think are good. #200 is a very good choice. Amelia's is a little hard to find if you go by address. Once you find it it is worth the look. It could be five stars but just misses the service level for this level restaurant. Went to celebrate my sons White Coat (Dr) Ceremony for medical school. Our party went to check in about 35 min before our reservation (Sunday night) and were told they would not seat them early for drinks? They had open tables and did the entire time we were there. They left to find a local bar. We got back and were seated promptly. We ordered and the apps were good. The three different warm breads were dropped on the table with no explanation. (What are the difference?) The main courses were large and very good. Eggplant Parmigiana, chicken parmigiana, lobster ravioli and shrimp Diablo. Each was very good but mine , ravioli was a little over powered by the sauce. The other issue was there was no bus service and the waitress was very slow to clear empty plates and glasses. At this level restaurant I should not have to stack plates. The desserts were maybe better than the meal. I feel confident in saying it is one of the better restaurants in Gainseville and could have been 5 stars if the service was not 3 stars. I would and will return. Thanks Yelpers for letting me present #200. read more

I wanted to love this quaint restaurant. It has so much going for it. Nice location, romantic, upscale ambiance, and a chef who greeted us at the door and checked on us frequently. The menu has enough to keep everyone happy. The reason for only 3 stars is this. 1) the waitress did not mention that the Caesar salad was an additional cost. She just asked if we wanted the house salad or the Caesar salad. She also didn't keep our drinks filled. This could be because the sodas came from a can instead of a soda fountain. 2) The food was well-presented and plentiful, but so bland that I probably won't be back. The salads were both watery and tasteless, even the Caesar. The grouper was huge and cooked perfectly, but strangely flavorless. The one exception was the tomato basil bread, which everyone raves about. I never want to harm a business. I hope the chef can make some adjustments to his recipes and bring the food up to a higher standard. read more

Wonderful in every aspect except parking. The food and service were excellent. House salad was lovely. Enjoyed the complimentary bread and butter. Had chicken Marsala as entree. It was rich, plenty of chicken and full of mushrooms. The eggplant rollatini as an appetizer was cooked perfectly. Thin slices of eggplant with mozzarella and a delicious marinara. As for parking... we parked behind the Sun center because of rain. The signs say scan the sign, pay, and your ticket will be validated in the restaurant. ($11. ) it wasn't . It's out of the restaurants control. Side note- a local who walked by said he's been parking there for years without paying the online parking fee and he's never had a problem. Who knows? We will go again but park somewhere else. read more

Wow amazing veal and mushrooms cooked in Marsala , it was so tender and tasty I really enjoyed every bite. They owner and staff were genuinely attentive. Great place to celebrate a birthday or dinner after a theater show at @hippodrome read more

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This place is delicious. I've tried the gnocchi with pesto sauce in the past and its definitely one of the better pestos I've ever had. It's creamy but not overly strong and a great complement to any pasta dish if you want a different sauce besides tomato. This time around i tried the chicken parmigiana which wasn't bad. I personally thought the tomato sauce was a little too sour for me. I did enjoy the chicken itself though and with the addition of extra parmesan, it became very cheesy. yum! The bread they give you before your meal is also an assortment of seasoned breads and go great for dipping with your pasta. During our meal, the head chef/owner of the restaurant even came out to check up on us to see how we liked our meal. He also did this the last time we ate. It made me feel like a valued customer and honestly just made me love the place even more. Additionally, our waitress was extremely attentive. Thanks Amelias! read more

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This restaurant has been one of our favorites for numerous years. Excellent food, excellent service, and a very cool atmosphere. Chef Andy never fails to deliver. read more

I'm Not from this area, and I was in the mood for some Italian food so I stopped in Tuesday night. The staff was very attentive and super friendly. Chef and owner stopped at the table twice to be sure everything was prepared to my liking and it was! The bread was hot with a crispy crust and a soft steaming inside , salad was cold and crisp and the Veal Zingara was a spectacular veal dish that I'm already craving again! Fantastic job Chef Andy and team !! Keep up the great work! read more

Dinner was great! Service was also great, once they finally came to the table. It was Easter Sunday, maybe short on help! Atmosphere outside superb, inside lacking just a smidge. Overall, left happy and full, definitely recommend read more

First time at Amelia's and I assure you we will return soon. Food: fabulous! Service: impeccable. Marie was our waitperson (and is also the pastry chef!) and she was just delightful. read more

Amelias Fine Italian is a hidden gem that has D**# Good Food ! It's that Simple. Our family, friends and many clients have eaten & entertained here for many years now ! Its always been a wonderful experience for all of us ! Respectfully, read more

This is without question our favorite Italian Resturant. Their bolognese is the best I've ever had.

Went here on a Tuesday night for a mini celebration with my mom. We made reservations and when we came, there was one couple dining outside and one inside and that was it. Sort of eerie, and we considered changing restaurants, but I really wanted to try it, so we braved the silence inside. The waitress was wonderful and kept our water glasses full at all times. She came by at perfect intervals and was always polite. I ordered the lasagna for $13 and my mom got some chicken dish with butter and wine sauce for $14. All meals come with bread and a side salad and if not a pasta dish, a penne with tomato sauce on the side. The bread basket came first. It had 3 different breads in it, a white, a stone-wheat and a herbed italian. Olive oil was provided on the table for dipping. I subbed the house salad for a ceasar salad for $3 and it was pretty good. The subbing fee is pretty high, but I really love ceasar salad (the sharing fee is $7!!!! Basically makes you order your own dish) The lasagna was really good, definitely home-made. It didn't have that addictive sweet sauce you get at Olive garden or the thick, fatty cheese at other chains, but maybe thats a good thing... I was too full for dessert, and our bill was $35 for two. i'd go back again, it was a pleasant experience. (will post pics eventually...) read more

Amelia's - Caesar Salad - Italian Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

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I'd love to give Amelia's 4 stars, but it's more of a 3.5. They are good, they have quality food, the ambiance is nice, and the service is good. But the prices reflect more of what I'd expect a 4 star experience to include, thus the 3.5 and given rating of 3. We've been in Gainesville 17+ years, and we don't go out of our way for Amelia's. We enjoy it when we go, a little sticker shock on the bill sometimes, but they are in a high rent location so I understand. All in all nothing great or bad to say about Amelia's. There are better places downtown when you're in the area. read more

Wonderful food and ambiance. The restaurant was in such a beautiful area with extremely kind employees. Brit provided great service and the tiramisu was unbelievable. The chicken parmigiana was incredible with lots of flavor and high quality. Amazing place! Would come to eat here again! read more

This was my number one place I would ask for go to on my Birthday every year. Inconveniently located in the Sun Center, they were once the only Italian restaurant that served gnocchi. A delicious potato dumpling. I love all of the pasta sauces here; they are not to offensive in sweetness and are rich enough to please. All of the appetizers are amazing and they have some great vegetarian options. Skip Carrabbas and spend the same amount on an excellent authentic meal, at a local business, in style, and make it an experience. Their entire menu is on their website, making a reservation is recommended. read more

This is my go to spot for a romantic dinner and my girlfriends favorite for date night. Space Very intimate setting located in the heart of downtown Gainesville. A candle is the centerpiece of the table. Paintings accentuate the small dining room area. Small location, it is suggested to make reservations for weekends/busy nights. Service Drew, our waiter, was very attentive even with the fact that he was also waiting on a 20 person party. He allowed us to switch tables and brought out the food in a timely matter. The chef/owner Andy came out to meet us close to the end of the meal. Food We ordered pesto gnocchi and chicken topped with eggplant. The food was delicious. To start off we had the capresse appetizer that was amazing. Very authentic food that makes you just want to keep coming back. Final Thoughts This restaurant is my favorite Italian place in Gainesville. The food is great and although more expensive than other places, the service and atmosphere make it worthwhile. I will keep coming back to this restaurant for special occasions. I highly recommend it. read more

Amelia's - Pesto Gnocchi - Italian Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

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Had a wonderful dinner at Amelia's. Drew our server was wonderful and knowledgeable. Food was beautifully presented and delicious. Generous portions-had lunch the next day. Enjoyed the fresh salmon. Bread was delicious. Too full to enjoy Dessert. Full bar and enjoyed martini. Waiter was nice and knowledgeable. read more

Amelia's - Italian Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

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So I did love a few things about this place the two times I've been here but my overall takeaway is-- get steak when you come here. They do great at that but other areas not so much. The most recent time we went, we got the same server as 3 years ago and he had the same spiel as then and barely looked at us while he talked for 3 minutes, just wandered his eyes around the room and at the ceiling as though he was so l bored to be there. We considered getting wine but honestly the deciding factor was the fact that it wasn't clear if the prices of the wine were bottle or glass and they were weird in between prices that seemed too high for glass and too low at a fancy place for a bottle. So to avoid the embarrassment of asking, we opted for classic mixed drinks-- and old fashioned and manhattan. Good, just weird. The old fashion came in a martini glass and had a touch too many bitters and sugar. Later when walking over to the bathroom, I got a glance at their "bar" and it all made sense. I said when I saw and tasted the drink at first that it kinda seemed like the bartender googled a recipe and winged it and honestly, after seeing the 4 foot wide cabinet set set up as a bar and the servers making their own drinks, I wouldn't be surprised if I was right. Now onto the best part! The food! I ordered the Surf and Turf with the filet and my husband ordered the vitello parmigiana. The surf and turf was A M A Z I N G. I got the sauce on the side since I wasn't sure I'd like it but I'm so glad I did so I could dunk, not dip, the crunchy new potatoes and shrimp in there. I may be back just for the sauce. My steak was juicy and tender and cooked well. A little more flavor on the steak would be nice but I take it that's what the blue cheese sauce was for that I took off. Now my husband was saddened that he got the far lesser meal of vitello parmigiana. It was soggy, mostly breading and red sauce and lacked any flavor to be quite frank. I promise a novice cook like myself could make something much more appealing for far less that $21. The largest thing is our bill. The drinks were cheaper than expected (yay!) but the rest baffled me. Our drinks were $7.5 and $8, the vitello was $21 and the surf and turf $26. Yet our bill came out to $83 with no note of auto gratuity being added or mentioned. Not knowing why our bill was so high, we tipped accordingly yet looking back I'm quite upset about that. Tips for Andy-- please improve your cocktail menu, or at least have one. A drink program is imperative to a fine dining experience and in that aspect I felt like you were playing at being fine. Also, take the vitello parmigiana off the menu. read more

This is my favorite italian restaurant in Gainesville. They never fail to disappoint me. Their pesto sauce is to die for. It creamy and probably the best pesto I have ever had. Although dinner nay be pricey for college students, their lunch special is very affordable usually ranging from 7.95-11.95$ for the same dishes. They do stop taking customers 30min (or more) prior to closing for lunch so come earlier! read more

Wanted to try this restaurant and it said they opened at 5pm. Showed up at 5:10pm and asked if they were opened. I only got an answer outside the restaurant from one of the servers who said "In a bit" with a snarky tone. Won't be back, as it seems the staff doesn't care about customers here. Sad because it did look nice. read more

Customer service is awful had a reservation 3 weeks in advance and got a call day of 3 hours before were supposed to be seating saying they can't take my party because they're understaffed. Asked how they could let that happen and they just brushed it off like "oh well sucks to suck" then proceeds to ask if I would want to book with them again in the future to call. Never getting reservations here again luckily another restaurant was able to accommodate my party in such short notice. read more

It took a while to receive any service after being seated. I'm used to Italian food and this wasn't good at all. The appearance was very unappealing. Our waiter had some mistakes with our order and when corrected started having an arrogant sense. The bathroom was disgusting. I've been here a few years ago and the service and food were excellent, must be new ownership. read more

We left the car dealer w/ new car but paperwork was longer than expected and I was hungry. Dashed in to Amelia's at 7:30 and they close at 8. We drove around the block more than once trying to find it. BTW.. it's behind another building and parking is tricky - to say the least. Hubby dropped me near the door to hurry a table. I was seated fairly quick but left alone for a bit. When hubby finally arrived after parking pretty far he asked if I had ordered drinks.. but no one approached me after being seated so that would be a "no". We sat for a bit more. We already knew what we wanted to eat and still no contact. Hubby was actually getting up to leave when the host approached and asked if we had questions w/ the menu. ?? I told him we were ready to order and he took our order. Not impressed yet.. service is a little slow.. hoping the food is good. When it arrives I'll let u know ok.. so service certainly picked up & food arrived. I was hungry so I'm sure it wasn't as long as it felt. That said, I should mention I'm a bit of an Italian food expert. Growing up in CT in close proximity to New York, I am well aware of how Italian food should be. I ordered chicken Marsala over spinach. My favorite. Salad was great. Only Caesar or red vinegar dressing.. as is proper. Spinach was great. Fresh and nice. Chicken and mushrooms were also really nice. Sauce was not as good as I would have liked. I could barely taste the Marsala.. and no. I did not have Covid. Pasta is not fresh but still nice enough. Sauce is house & also nice. Overall, I may have caught them on an off night -when I was a little hangry -but I would say service is a bit slow and food is just above average.. I was hopeful for excellent.. I'll give them another try down the road but tonight was not bad -but also not fabulous.. I just got the check Holy crap! $200 for 2.. oh wait.. thankfully it's not ours. $87 for 2 dinners no apps and 3 drinks.. much more like it. Ya.. service is less than stellar read more